TANGENT: For the show, I was going to have the running theme of “people I love,” using only candy hearts. All the subjects would be famous, because sure, I can make a Foogos of my mom and dad, but no one will know who they are, and part of the fun is the recognizability factor. Although… that sounds like a sick Christmas gift.If there’s one thing I am not a fan of in regard to this portrait, its that I ran out of purple hearts to complete the right shoulder/sleeve, so I used blue to finish it up (this is where the Foogos watermark resides). Over 60 boxes and 7 bags of heart candies and I barely had three Solo cups of purple. This distribution is whack. Wiggity whack. (It’s late. I’m tired.)

The victory ties the Devils best of seven series up with Florida at two games a pop, and it was a much-needed win. No one wants to go down into a 1-3 hole with two potential road games looming. I predicted the Devils to take this series in five, but the Panthers are much more resilient than most people expected (excluding the believers in Sunrise, FL). Then again, I thought Pittsburgh would whitewash the Flyers, so what do I know?

The shutout is Brodeur’s 24th in the playoffs, a new NHL record, one of many that Marty now owns sole possession of. The guy’s list of accolades might be about the same length as the paperback edition of Roots. It goes without saying that the all-time winningest goalie in NHL history, a future Hall of Famer, was instrumental in bringing three championships to New Jersey, and why my dad has his name on the Stanley Cup, and that’s why I’ve chosen to make this homage to Brodeur in candy hearts.

I’ve had so many terrific memories of and because of Brodeur throughout the years. This portrait is just a small token of my appreciation for his unintentional positive influence on my life. I hope guys like him and Patrik Elias are able to get another title before they hang up the skates for good.